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Charges filed against 2nd man in Mankato fight

Published on NewsOK
Modified: May 14, 2014 at 8:33 pm •
Published: May 14, 2014

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MANKATO, Minn. (AP) — A man accused of punching a former Minnesota State, Mankato, football player in the head and knocking him to the ground was charged with two felony assault counts Wednesday after a weekend attack that left the former Mavericks linebacker in critical condition.

This May 12, 2014 booking photo released by Blue Earth County Jail, shows 21-year-old Trevor Stenner Shelley. Police arrested Shelley on Monday, May 12, 2014, hours after they released surveillance video showing a man in a red shirt running from the scene in downtown Mankato. According to the criminal complaint filed Wednesday, witnesses identified Shelley as the man suspected of punching 24-year-old Isaac Dallas Kolstad and knocking him to the ground. Former Minnesota quarterback Philip Nelson was charged with two similar assault counts Monday. Kolstad remains hospitalized in critical condition. (AP Photo/Blue Earth County Jail)

Police had arrested Trevor Stenner Shelley, 21, of St. Peter, a few hours after they released video showing a man in a red shirt running from the scene as bars were closing in downtown Mankato early Sunday. A criminal complaint says witnesses identified Shelley as the man suspected of punching Isaac Dallas Kolstad, 24.

Former Minnesota quarterback Philip Nelson 20, was charged with two assault counts Monday. He is accused of kicking Kolstad in the head after he was already defenseless.

Shelley told an investigator he didn't hit anyone, the complaint said. But a witness told police that Shelley told him shortly after the incident that he had been downtown "and that he walked up to someone that was 'starting something' with Nelson, and 'wound up and hit him as hard as he could,'" it said. The witness said Shelley was wearing a red shirt that was "halfway off" when they spoke.

Shelley went free on $20,000 bail shortly after his first court appearance. He's due back in court May 22.

"This young man has a perfectly viable defense. I'm confident when all the evidence is on the table, he will be exonerated," he said.

While Nelson told police he didn't know the man in the red shirt, the complaint says a detective determined Nelson and Shelley were Facebook friends, and that both attended Mankato West High School about the same time. Nelson's attorney, Jim Fleming, said he didn't know if there was any significance to them being Facebook friends.